Drainpipe cleaner



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @g/ff.

P. GAVIN DRAIN 'PIPE CLEANER Filed NOV. 23, 1945 Aug. 26, 1947.

Aug. 26, '1947. -v R GNN' y 2,426,265

DRAIN PlPE CLEANER Fild Nov. 23, 1945 2 Sheei's-Sheet 2 INI/NTOR. PA Tmc/f GA w/v WFM@ gaa/? ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 26, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRAINPIPE CLEANER Patrick Gavin, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application November 23, 1945, Serial No. 630,351

1 Ciaim. 1

rIhis invention relates to apparatus for cleaning drain pipes and for other uses hereinafter referred to.

Heretofore it has generally been the practice, when drain pipes are stopped or clogged, to pass a so-called plumbers snake through the pipe to dislodge the obstruction. Ordinarily, these snakes are in the form f flat or helically coiled wire and are adapted to be fed into the pipe by hand for the purpose stated. Rotation of the snake is generally found desirable and Various apparatus has been heretofore suggested for this purpose.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, thoroughly ecient, and compact apparatus which may be used with a plumbers snake either in the conventional form or in the form of an ordinary stranded wire cable.

Generally speaking, the apparatus of this invention comprises means for securing the apparatus to the pip-e to be cleaned, so that the apparatus will not back ofi as the cable is forced into the pipe in a positive manner. The present invention embodies a threaded member or feeder to which a cable may be secured, with means for rotating said feeder, to screw it into such casing in such a way that the cable is rotated while it is fed with considerable force into the pipe. The feeder is adapted to feed predetermined lengths of cable for each forward operation thereof and between these forward operations, the feeder may be backed oif to engage a subsequent length of cable next to be fed, whereby successive portions of the cable are forced into the pipe in a positive and eicient manner and without undue effort on the part of the operator. The force applied to the threaded member may be transmitted thereto through gears operated either by a manually operated handle or from any suitable power driven source or prime mover, such as an electric motor. 1n any event there is adequate power for the work to be done. The apparatus may be easily handled and transported from place to place because of its simple and compact nature.

Features of the invention, other than those specified, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and appended claim, when read in conjunction 4with the accompanying drawing.

Y The accompanying drawing illustrates difierent practical embodiments of the invention,'but the constructions therein shown are to be underiigurethe apparatus is shown as associated with stood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section a drain pipe, shown in dot and dash lines.

Figure 2 is a plan View of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fgure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on the line --il of ure 2.

Figure 5 shows a modified form of the invention with means for supplying cable to the appar'atus.

Figure 6 is an enlarged View of a cable reel on which the cable may be conveniently supported to be fed to the apparatus. In this view the yoke is shown in central section.

Referring to the drawing, l indicates a tubular housing formed at its forward end with an elbow 2, shown as provided with a chain connector 3 by means of which the housing may be at- Vtached to a drain pipe indicated as a trap i in Figure l. The rear end of the housing is interiorly thickened and threaded, as shown at 5, and the lower half oi' this threaded portion of the housing is cut away to receive a hinged section i5 which is also threaded, so that the rigid part of the housing, together with the hinged section 5, collectively serve to form a threaded portion through which a threaded feeder may be screwed by rotation of the latter. The section t is secured at one side by a hinge pin and may be normally held in closed position by a removable pin 9, shown best in Figure 2. When the section t is closed, the feeder l will have proper threaded engagement with the housing l, but when the section 6 is swung downwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in -Figure i, the feeder l may be tilted downwardly and out of engagement with the threads 5 of the housing to allow the feeder to be retracted without making it necessary to screw the feeder back, i. e., to the left in Figure l. To the rear end of the feeder 'I is attached the tubular hub iti of a beveled pinion li. This attachment may be threaded or otherwise, but it should be rigid so that when the hub is rotated, the feeder will also be rotated. The advantage of using the screw threaded connection as shown, is to permit of dismantling of these parts for compact transportation.

The hub l!! of the pinion ll is mounted to roe tate within a frame I2 and in this frame is supported a lead-in tube I3 which is preferably tapered as shown. The lead-in tube i3, hub It and feeder 1 are all tubular in form, to allow the passage of a cable C (or snake) entirely through these parts and out through the open end of the elbow 2, as shown in Figure 1. The cable may be locked to the elbow 2, against this longitudinal movement, by means of a set screw I4 and to the lirub III of the pinion II, by means of a set screw The forward end of the cable has a head I6 which is bored to receive thecend of the cable and a set screw II is thereupon vscrewed into a tapped hole in the side of the head I6 and deflects the adjacent portion of the cable into a lateral depression I8 of the head to lock the head to the cable. When the head is thus locked and firmly attached to the cable, the set screw I'I is cut off to make the attachment permanent. The forward end of the head is preferably rounded while the rear edges of the head are chamfered as shown, so that this head will not be apt to catch in joints in the pipe to be cleaned.

The frame I2 is provided Awith a fixed stud I9 and on this stud a beveled gear 20 is mounted to rotate. To the hub of this gear is keyed a crank ZI having a handle 22. The gear.20 is positioned to mesh with the .pinion I I and, through manual operation of the crank, `the pinion is caused to rotate and thus impart rotation to its hub I and the feeders 'I rigid therewith.

If the set screw .I is tightened to grip the cable C within the hub I and the set screw I is loosened to permit of rotation of the cable, the cable will be rotated with the pinion and will be rotated and fed forwardly with the feeder through which it passes. The frame I2 has a handle 23 so that it may be held in proper position while the handle is thus manipulated.

In practice, the device thus far described is used as follows: The chain attaching device 3 is rst engaged with the pipe to be cleaned and by this operation the casing I is secured to such pipe. In any event, the necessary feature is that the forward end of the casing is secured `to the pipe. The pivoted section 6 is then released by removing the pin 9 and this section swung down as shown in Figure 4. The rear end of the feeder may then be lowered with respect to the casing to disengage the threads of the feeder from the threads 5 of the casing and the feeder may then be drawn back until its forward portion is juxtaposed to the threads 5. During these operations, the set screws I4 and I5 remain loose, so as not to grip the cable or interfere with these operations.

The pivoted section 5 is next returned to feeder engaging position and the pin 9 reinserted. The set screw Ill is left in this retracted position while the set screw I5 is screwed in to engage and clamp the cable C to the hub of the pinion II. The operator then holds the apparatus by th handle 23, while he turns the crank 2I.v By so doing the cable is rotated and at the same time the feeder 'I is screwed into the casing I to move to the right in Figure 1, carrying with it the cable so that the free end of the cable which extends beyond the elbow 2 is forced into the pipe 1.

After the feeder has been screwed all the way into the casing, the set screw I5 is loosened and the set screw Iii is tightened. The pivoted section 6 is then released and swung downand the feeder I again lowered and drawn back to the starting point. During this operation, the .set screw I4 precludes retraction of the cablealong with the feeder, so that the cable will not be drawn out of the pipe, but is left at the position it was at the end of the first feeding operation. After the feeder has been retracted as stated, the section 6 is again swung into position and locked by the pin 9, the set screw Ill is released and the set screw I5 is tightened to again grip the cable. Thereafter the operations described are repeated to feed a further length of 'cable into the pipe with conjoint feed and rotation of the cable. These successive feeding operations are repeated until a sufcient length of the cable has been fed into the pipe to dislodge the obstruction therein.

If during these operations it is found desirable to retract the cable, this may be done with force, `by simply reversing the rotation of the handle or i-f no force is required the section 6 may be swung down and a predetermined length of the cable manually pulled out with the feeder. The operator may thus withdraw the cable in either way, depending upon conditions. When the job of cleaning the pipe is completed, the cable may be withdrawn manually or forcibly as stated, the connection 3 is released from the pipe and the apparatus may be carried away by the operator.

The structure of Figure 5 is in most respects the same as the structure of Figure l, except that the frame I 2a, which corresponds to the frame I2, is of a form'better adapted to a motor driven apparatus comprising a driven gear 25a and a driving pinion I Ia. The armature shaft 2li of the motor 25 is keyed to the pinion Ila and serves to drive the gear Eilawhich has a hollow hub Illa corresponding to the hub lil, and a set screw vI5 to lock the cable C to this gear. lIhe feeder 'I, casing I and hinged section 6 are as in the previous gures and the handle 23a corresponds to the handle 23.

In cleaning relatively long pipes a considerable length of cable may be required and the present invention provides for a convenient way of handling this cable. Thus, in Figure 5, the cable is shown as wound upon a reel 25 supported in a yoke 26, shown in detail in Figure 6. This yoke is provided at its top with an eye 2l which has a swivel connection with the top of the yoke and in the bottom of the yoke are two flanged rollers 28. The cable is coiled on the reel 25 and leads down between the flange rollers 28 so that, as the cable is fed through the apparatus and into the pipe, it will unroll from the reel, while rotation yof the Acable will cause rotation of the reel and its yoke about the axis of the swivel connection between the eye 2l and the yoke. Consequently, the cable will not be apt to kink, but will feed freely from the reel to the apparatus.

The reel may be supported from an appropriate hook 29 screwed into a beam of a cellar or the like, as shown in Figure 5, or may be supported on a bracket 29a carried by the upper of two tubular sections 30 and 3l which thread into one another and may, by relative rotation, be caused to press against the floor and ceiling to form a firm support for the bracket, The sections 3E) and 3l are so proportioned that they may be screwed together, after the manner of a jack of suiliciently small dimension to be supported either vertically or transversely within a doorway. When transversely supported, the reel may be suspended on a hook 32 carried by the lower section 3 I.

The invention has hereinbefore been described as useful for the cleaning of pipes. In this environment it is particularly efficient. It is adapted, however, for other uses, such, for example, as for leading wire through conduits or for other purposes where a flexible member is adapted to be passed through the tubular part.

In the drawings I have shown the rear end of the casing l threaded as indicated at 5 and also the pivoted section E threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion '5 when the pivoted section is in closed position. Also the pivoted section is shown at the bottom half of the casing. In practice, however, I may reverse this arrangement so that the pivoted section 6 is at the upper half of the casing i so that it is swung upwardly instead of downwardly as hereinbefore described to disengage the threads of this pivoted section from the feeder l, and, if desired, the threaded section 5 of the casing may then be made' devoid of `threads so that when the section A6 is swung upwardly there remains no threaded engagement with the feeder and it may then be simply pulled out or pushed in if desired. Furthermore I have shown and described the head I6 as rounded,

although it may, in practice, have any desired configuration or be shaped in any way desired at its forward end to efficiently clean a pipe.

The foregoing description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical form, but the invention is to be understood as fully commensurate with the appended claim.

Having thus fully described the invention, what 6 I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An apparatus of the character described comprising: a casing having means for attaching it to a pipe to be cleaned, a tubular feeder having threaded connection with `the casing, a cable extending through the feeder and through the casing and adapted to be fed by the feeder into said pipe, means for locking the cable to the feeder, means for locking the cable to the casing, and means for rotating the feeder to screw it into the casing while the cable is locked thereto and unlocked with respect to the casing.

PATRICK GAVIN.

REFERENCES CETED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Haines Jan. 19, 1932 

